ony-carriage, when he drove on in silence, and let her lean back and
gaze up into the sky, or into the far distance, undisturbed. Now
and then he would be rejoiced by a bright, genuine smile, perfectly
refreshing, at some of the pretty ways of the babe, a small but plump
and lively creature, beginning to grasp with her hands, laugh and gaze
about with eyes that gave promise of the peculiar colour and brilliancy
of her father's. Amabel was afraid she might be tempted into giving
Charles too much of the little lady's society; but he was very fond of
her, regarding her with an odd mixture of curiosity and amusement, much
entertained with watching what he called her unaccountable manners,
and greatly flattered when he could succeed in attracting her notice.
Indeed, the first time she looked full at him with a smile on the verge
of a laugh, it completely overcame him, by the indescribably forcible
manner in which it suddenly recalled the face which had always shone on
him like a sunbeam. Above all, it was worth anything to see the looks
she awoke in her mother, for which he must have loved her, even had she
not been Guy's child.

In the evening, especially on Sunday, Amabel would sometimes talk to him
as she had never yet been able to do, about her last summer's journey,
and her stay at Recoara, and his way of listening and answering had in
it something that gave her great pleasure; while, on his side, he deemed
each fresh word of Guy's a sort of treasure for which to be grateful
to her. The brother and sister were a great help and happiness to each
other; Amabel found herself restored to Charles, as Guy had liked to
think of her, and Charles felt as if the old childish fancies were
fulfilled, in which he and Amy were always to keep house together. He
was not in the least dull; and though his good-natured visitors in the
morning were welcome, and received with plenty of his gay lively talk,
he did not by any means stand in need of the compassion they felt for
him, and could have done very well without them; while the evenings
alone with Amy had in them something so pleasant that they were almost
better than those when Mr. Ross and Mary came to tea. He wrote word to
his mother that she might be quite at ease about them, and he thought
Amy would get through the anniversaries of September better while the
house was quiet, so that she need not think of trying to hurry home.

He was glad to have done so, for the letters, which sc